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MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State Soccer is set to take on Southern Indiana in Morehead, Ky., at MSU Soccer Field for its final regular season contest of the 2026 season. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. ET. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
MSU (6-10-1/1-4-1) is solidly in the hunt to host an opening-round Ohio Valley Conference Tournament game. A win against Southern Indiana, paired with a Western Illinois loss to Lindenwood, would move the Blue and Gold into sixth place and secure a home game against the seventh-place team (most likely Southern Indiana) in November's league tournament. A tie or defeat, coupled with a WIU loss, will send MSU on the road to face USI. An MSU defeat and a WIU win will send the Eagles on the road to play the loser of today's SIUE-Southeast Missouri game.
"Big game for us," said Head Coach
Paul Cox. "I think we've turned a corner and we are working hard and are fully prepared for the game. We are aware we might be playing USI two games on the bounce but want to make sure we are at home Thursday, and that starts with a win tomorrow."
Morehead State Assistant Coach Brett Ekperuoh will be the Eagles' standing head coach for Sunday's contest while Cox serves his one game suspension from last week's red card. It will be his first game as a head coach.
"I think it is going to be interesting game," said Ekperuoh. "I think that the team to score first will have the biggest advantage to take the game home. The girls are ready and so am I."
A victory today will give MSU as many wins (five) as it had in the last two years combined (three in 2025, two in 2024). In 2022, 2021, 2018, 2016 and 2015, the Eagles also won four home games. The last time it surpassed four wins was in 2014, when it had 7, which ties the school record.
Southern Indiana (2-9-6/1-2-3) is on a three-game winless streak, and has not scored in 295 minutes and 46 seconds. It is 1-3-4 away from home this season. In common opponents with MSU, the Screaming Eagles are 2-2-3 in those games, while the Eagles are 2-4-1.
THE SERIES
Record vs. Southern Indiana: 2-3
First Meeting: 9/18/2022 MSU won 1-0
Last Meeting: 9/25/2025 USI won 1-0
Eagles' Record in Morehead, KY: 1-1
Eagles' Record in Evansville, IN: 1-2
Morehead State enters tomorrow's contest with a 6-10-1 (1-4-1) record after securing its first OVC win against Western Illinois.
The first half was heavily controlled by Morehead State.
Morehead State led 11-5 in first half shots, with shots on goal from Eagles'
Faith Peper and
Ava Peck.
Jade Walton had a big chance to score in the 18th minute when she broke free in stride down the middle of the field. Caron made a diving stop to deflect the ball away from the goal and the game stayed knotted up at zero.
Amira Hendrick recorded three saves in the first half, including a nice save just one minute prior to Walton's shot, saving a header that came in off a WIU corner kick.
Right out of halftime,
Ashton Lynam and Walton each had major opportunities to score, but Caron saved each of their attempts.
The game appeared to swing in the 63rd minute when Hendrick was given a yellow card due to a foul in the box. MSU Head Coach
Paul Cox was given a red card following the yellow card to Hendrick, and assistant coach
Brett Ekperuoh finished the game leading the Eagles.
WIU's Rita Moran was given the massive opportunity to convert on the resulting penalty kick, but her shot was saved by Hendrick, as the Eagle goalkeeper erupted in excitement following the play. It was MSU's first saved PK since
Claire Cress did so against Wake Forest in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
In the 75th minute, Morehead State forced a turnover in open field. Peck dribbled the ball to the left sideline, crossed it into the box for Walton, allowing Walton to spin and fire the eventual game winning goal into the back right of the net.
Walton's goal was her fourth of the season, officially taking the team lead in goals.
WIU's final attempt on goal came in the 81st minute off the foot of Nelly Beliveau, but Hendrick recorded her seventh and final save of the contest, completing the shutout and helping the Eagles secure its first win in 38 days.
The Screaming Eagles enter tomorrow's contest with a 2-9-6 (1-2-3) record under Head Coach Eric Schoenstein's leadership.
USI enters scoring 0.41 goals per match on 12.4 average shots taken, while allowing an average of 1.12 goals per game on an identical 12.4 shots.
MSU is scoring 0.94 goals per game on 12.2 shots per game, while allowing 1.35 goals on 14.4 shots per game.
NOTABLE
- Amira Hendrick was named OVC Co-Goalkeeper of the Week following her season defining save and performance against Western Illinois.
- Hendrick recorded the second shutout of her career in just her third career start, becoming the first Morehead State Eagle to accomplish the feat since Erin Gibbs in 2022. Gibbs also recorded two shutouts in her first three starts, blanking Southern Indiana and Eastern Illinois.
- On top of her shutout against WIU, she made seven saves, lifting her total to 18 in games she has started. She also became the first Morehead State Eagle to save 18 of the first 19 shots on goal that she faced when starting, since Erin Gibbs saved 23 of the first 24 shots on goal that she faced when starting in 2022.
- Jade Walton recorded five shots on goal against Eastern Illinois, marking the first time a Morehead State Eagle has reached that mark since Dani Wilson did so against SIUE on Oct. 26, 2018.
- Walton is second in the OVC for shots on goal (21).
- Hannah Burke is now 4th in minutes played in Morehead State history, recording 4,174 minutes played across her four seasons at MSU.
- Ashton Lynam has scored the last three goals for Morehead State, becoming the first Eagle to do so since Hedda Ornberg scored in four straight games in Oct.-Nov. of 2024.
- Amira Hendrick became the first Eagle goalkeeper to earn a shutout in her first collegiate start (with a 0-0 tie at UT Martin on Thursday) since Erin Gibbs did so against Southern Indiana in a 1-0 home victory on Sept. 18, 2022.
- Natalie Lentine was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week following her first career goal (against Mercyhurst) and first career assist (against Chattanooga) on September 8th.
- Morehead State scored in 10 of the first 11 games, marking the first time in which its accomplished that since 2015, when the Eagles also scored in 10 of the first 11 games.
- Burke notched her ninth career assist as an Eagle on Sept. 3, against Merchyhurst, putting her in sole possession of ninth place in program history.
- The Eagles have scored 16 goals this season from 10 different goal scorers.
- Eight of the Eagles 10 who have score this season have scored their first collegiate goal.
- Charlotte Lee's seven points in the first six games of the season was the first time a Morehead State Eagle has accomplished that feat since Ashley Ritchie in the first six games, 10 years ago in 2016.
- Allie Lammers' 18 combined saves against Eastern and Northern Kentucky are the most saves in a two-game span since Kayla Landman recorded 21 (14 and 7) against Purdue Fort Wayne and Murray State on 9/29/2019 and 10/4/2019.
- MSU scored in each of its first four games of the season, the first time it has accomplished the feat since 2015.
- Lee recorded four points through the first three games, becoming the first Eagle to do so since Hedda Ornberg did it from October 20-November 3 in 2024.
- The Eagles held Brescia (Ky.) without a shot in their 2-0 victory on Aug. 16, marking the first time MSU has held an opponent without a shot for an entire game since defeating North Alabama, 2-0, in the 2021 season/home opener.
